Satellite images show Cyclone Ditwah’s devastation in Sri Lanka’s Colombo

Cyclone Ditwah left a trail of destruction in Sri Lanka since it’s formation from a deep depression along the island nation’s south-eastern coast on November 26, 2025.

The death toll has risen to 474 as of 10 a.m. on December 3, 2025, according to the situation report by Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Center. Almost 25% (118) of the deaths were reported in the district of Kandy, as shown in the graphic below.

Over 15 lakh people have been affected, of which at least two lakh are displaced and currently placed in 53,758 safety centers across the country. The cyclone has partially damaged 40,358 houses and completely destroyed 971 homes, as per the Disaster Management Center’s report. A total of 356 people are still missing as of December 3, 2025.

Around three lakh of those affected are in the district of Colombo. Satellite images show the extent to which different areas and neighbourhoods in the capital were flooded, as shown in the graphic below.

Many countries have pledged support to Sri Lanka in its slow and long recovery from the devastating impact of the cyclone. India’s National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is providing urgent assistance and relief to those affected in close coordination with the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Over 3.2 lakh people were affected in Puttalam, a district which has a sparse population density of 278 people per square kilometre. Colombo’s population density is over 12 times higher with 3,549 people per square kilometre, as per the 2024 Census.

Landslides were highly concentrated in and around the landlocked district of Kandy, a factor associated in the higher death toll in the district.

The now-weakened remnant of Cyclone Ditwah has triggered heavy rainfall in the districts of Chennai and Thiruvallur in Tamil Nadu. As the system moves inland, the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has issued an orange alert in north Tamil Nadu districts, including Chennai, Kancheepuram, Ranipet, and Tiruvallur, as well as two districts along the Ghat areas.